An in-depth look at the Clinton LumberKings from radio broadcaster Dave Lezotte. The LumberKings are the class A Midwest League Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Honoring Gary VandenBerg

For those of you tuning in to Game 3 of the NLCS tonight, you’ll see an addition to the Milwaukee Brewers’ uniforms. The “GV” patch has been added to honor the memory of Brewers’ Director of Grounds Gary VandenBerg, who passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer.

I wanted to briefly say a few words about Gary, who became my first boss when he hired me on to the Brewers Grounds Crew in 2000. For 30-plus years, nobody served the Brewers better than Gary, and he never looked for the spotlight for doing so. He was as kind and understanding a boss as anyone could ever ask for, yet he imparted a strong work ethic and sense of pride in all of us that worked for him. It was with his lead that we all strived to be the best Grounds Crew in baseball.

I worked for Gary for five full seasons and parts of two more and can say that his example of professionalism and attention to detail is something that I hope has rubbed off on me. The Ryan Brauns and Prince Fielders of baseball get the attention, but it’s people like Gary that truly make an organization great.

He will be missed greatly by all of us who donned the yellow Grounds polo.

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